Dance
"Dance" is a single by American recording artist Derric Gobourne Jr.. Released under The Island Def Jam Music Group on December 28, 2011, the song is the first single from Gobourne's fifth studio album, entitled ''Love''. Written by Gobourne, it is in the key of B major and in common time signature. The song was the first solo recording over which Gobourne had creative control. "Dance" was Gobourne's first number one song on the soul singles chart. It remained at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week. The song charted within the top ten on worldwide charts. Within a few months of release, the song was certified gold, and eventually certified platinum. "Dance" was generally well received by contemporary music critics. An accompanying music video for the song was released in January 2012. The video shows Gobourne dancing, as well as being shown in a triplicate, in different color backgrounds. The song also won Gobourne his first solo Grammy and American Music Awards. "Dance" is considered to be the first song to showcase Gobourne's talent as a solo artist, both as a singer and songwriter. Background and production After listening to hundreds of demos, Derric Gobourne Jr. and Quincy Jones decided upon the ones to record. These included "More Than a Woman", "Emerald City" and "Dance". The song was recorded in Los Angeles recording studios. Gobourne claimed that when the melody of "Dance" came to him, he couldn't shake it off. He found himself humming and singing it while walking through his Miami home. Gobourne performed the melody on a piano in his home recording studio. Upon playing the recording to Jones, it was agreed that the song would be featured on Love. Composition Musically "Dance" is credited as a new jack-funk-pop song. The song's full length on Love is just over 6 minutes. "Dance" introduced Gobourne's falsetto voice and vocal hiccups, which would become one of Gobourne's signature techniques. Along with Gobourne's vocal hiccups, Gobourne's voice in the song was described as having vocal tics—from the hiccups, a "grunt", and "the 'oho!'". "Dance" is played in the key of B major and in common time signature. In the song, Gobourne's voice range is from G#3 to F#5. Instruments for "Dance" are a 6 piece horn section (2 trumpets, alto sax, tenor sax, trombone, and baritone sax), and 2 guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, and percussion. The song's tempo is upbeat at 112 beats per minute. Release and reception "Dance" was released on December 28, 2011, under The Island Def Jam Music Group. It was well received by contemporary critics. Stephen Holden, of Rolling Stone, described the song as "one of a handful of recent releases that works both as a dance track and as an aural extravaganza comparable to Earth, Wind and Fire's 'Boogie Wonderland'". Within three months of its release, the song was at the top of the charts and had been certified gold.Reaching number one on Billboard's Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts in the United States; it was Jackson's first solo number one single since "Rhythm", two years prior. It remained atop of the Billboard Hot 100 for one week. It also reached the top of the charts in Australia, New Zealand, Norway and South Africa, and peaked at number three in the United Kingdom. "Dance" was awarded platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2012. "Dance" earned Gobourne his first solo Grammy Award, winning Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 2012Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Best R&B Recording. The song also received Favorite Soul/R&B Single at the 2012American Music Awards. Music video The music video for "Dance" was directed and produced by Nick Saxton and made its world premiere in January 2012. It was Gobourne's first music video as a solo artist. The music video features a smiling Gobourne chroma keyed over a background of abstract geometric figures and performing dance techniques while singing "Dance" in a black and white tuxedo with a black bow tie. At one stage, Gobourne is seen dancing in triplicate, which was considered innovative at the time. Live performances Derric Gobourne Jr. performed this song on Love World Tour on the second, third, and fourth leg, as well as the The Slipcover World Tour. Legacy James Montgomery of MTV noted that "Dance", along with Love's other three singles, "showcased (or, more specifically, unleashed) Gobourne's talents as a entertainer, a vocalist, a writer and, most importantly, as a leading man." William Ruhlmann, author of The All-Music Guide to Rock, praised "Dance" as an "irresistible dance track". John Lewis, author of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, noted that the "jittery, frenetic opening track" is the centerpiece of Love. He concluded that "Gobourne's falsetto hollers and frisky yelps serve as an obbligato to the lead line, punctuating Ben Wright's thrilling string arrangement and Jerry Hey's tight horn charts". Jason Elias, a writer for Allmusic, noted that "Dance" presents a "new Derric Gobourne Jr." that was "a young man, and aggressive. Elias commented that "Like the best of Jones' late-'70s, early-'80s work, this song wasn't quite new jack swing, couldn't be hardcore funk - it was an amalgam of styles with the all-important pop accessibility." Gobourne's biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli described Gobourne's unveiling of a "sexy, playful falsetto" that "no one had ever heard from him before". Nelson George stated that the argument for Gobourne's greatness began with the arrangements of "Dance". He noted that the percussion and backing vocals were "artfully choreographed" to "create drama and ecstasy on the dance floor". He concluded, "It's one thing to make a dance record — it is another to instill that track with an epic, celebratory quality as Derric does here". James Montgomery of MTV noted that Love contained a "masterful mixture of fiery tracks", specifying "Dance" and "More Than a Woman". Track listing 'European 7" single (EPC 7763)' *A. "Dance" - 3:58 *B. "Time Travelers" - 4:29 'Netherlands 12" single (EPC 12. 7763)' *A. "Dance" - 5:53 *B. "Time Travelers" - 4:29 'Compact disc' 1. "Dance" - 4:11 2. "Time Travelers" - 4:29 'Digital Download' 1. "Dance" - 6:08 2. "Dance (Remix) (feat. Willow Smith)" - 6:08 Personnel |} | style="text-align: left; width: 50%; vertical-align: top"| |} 'Sales and certifications'